Summary
I have a rare combination of experience and skills that allow me to serve as a bridge between engineers, marketeers, hackers, journalists, end users, analysts, enthusiasts, and management. I am an accomplished strategist and marketeer, with particular skill in building and leveraging enthusiast communities.
I am passionate about the potential for “invisible” technology. I believe that the best technologies should be simple, elegant, intuitive, and always with you. I have the industry and technical insight to understand why few succeed and most products fail in approaching this vision.
I am presently technomadically traveling throughout North America, making my life a living laboratory, investigating mobile technologies and usage models.
Experience
Product Marketing Manager — PalmSource
November 2004 – July 2005
Responsible for defining the “application life-cycle” and “over-the-air” experiences for PalmOS, focusing on both initial device configuration and end user application installation and management. I was the visionary behind the PalmSource Installer and related technologies.
- Defined the architecture for the PalmSource Installer, creating a truly universal application installation architecture.
- Managed all aspects of the Installer project — including budgets, contracts, partnerships, internal technical and business resources, and external contract developers.
- Core member of the product marketing team — responsible for defining the roadmap for the evolution of Palm OS.
- Served as a primary liaison to several PalmOS licensees, including Garmin and TapWave.
Director of Competitive Analysis — Palm / PalmSource
November 2000 – November 2004
Served as the eyes and ears and long-range radar for first Palm, and then PalmSource (after the split).
- Researched and acquired a diverse range of competitive hardware, platforms, and software — and conducted technical, UI, and market analysis on them.
- Became intimately familiar with all aspects of PalmOS, Windows CE / Windows Mobile, Symbian OS, Mobile Java, Mobile Linux, and many other lesser known and less successful platforms.
- Created the internal “Competitive Info Talk” mailing list and external licensee newsletter “Market Vision” for propagation of competitive news and analysis.
- Created and acted as the prime interface to the “Palm Influencers,” a group of the most influential Palm OS users in the world.
- One of only a few official Palm / PalmSource spokespeople. Regularly interfaced with the press, analysts, users, and customers. Frequently featured as a speaker at industry events and panels — including Comdex, CES, CTIA, Cebit, Computex, and many more.
- Regularly attended industry and developer events around the world, and researched users and usage patterns in North America, Europe, and Asia.
Director of Online Services — Eazel, Inc.
November 1999 – March 2000
10th employee at Eazel, a “hot” startup aiming to make Linux “dramatically easier to use” by creating a next generation user interface and a suite of online system management services.
- Wrote the initial services outline, detailing Eazel’s online strategy.
- Created process flows detailing Eazel’s software catalog features.
- Researched and wrote market analysis reports on a range of topics.
- Defined Eazel’s editorial voice, and incorporated the SW catalog editorial process into the Services PRD.
- Managed Eazel’s Web site and press clippings archive.
- Set up and managed Eazel’s Majordomo mailing list server. The first wave of Eazel publicity was Slashdotted and generated over 10,000+ subscriptions.
- Filled in as a “jack of all trades” when necessary — doing everything from PC support to creating VC presentation slides.
Developer Relations Manager / Chief Evangelist — Rendition, a division of Micron Technology, Inc.
October 1997 – October 1999
Responsible for most of Rendition’s non-customer relationships — including with software developers, enthusiasts, online and print publications, trade shows, and the web. Managed a team of ISV engineers and Rendition’s webmaster. A key member of Rendition’s marketing staff, known as a vocal and enthusiastic Rendition supporter both inside and outside the company.
- Created the “Rendition Crusaders” — one of the first programs designed to harness the passions of online enthusiasts.
- Conceived and created the “Fact of the Week” program to gradually introduce Rendition’s third generation part.
- Assumed responsibility for V2000 EOL driver release. Wrote the MRD, and coordinated the engineering and QA process through the release of several public betas.
- Wrote launch plans for the V3000 and V4000 series chips. Negotiated sponsorship of GDC 2000 to serve as the V4K launch event.
- Completely revamped Rendition’s developer support offerings. Created a three-tiered support structure, opening up the program to amateur developers. Created the Rendition Online Developer Zone, providing secure file areas and discussion groups for registered developers.
- Created and served as editor of Tachometer, the Rendition Developer Newsletter.
- Negotiated the acquisition of game developer Any Channel, bringing Rendition valuable IP and five new engineers all at once.
- Conceived of and ran the “Take it to the RRedline” programming contest, which drew entries from around the world. Hosted the winners at the “Rendition Party Shack” at E3 1998. Garnered enough press attention to earn the prototype ‘3D Conspiracy’ board a “best of show” mention from several journalists, despite Rendition not even having a booth at that E3.
- Created an AltOS developer support program, enabling Linux driver development long before most other graphics companies.
Technical Editor — Imagine Publishing, boot Magazine (now known as Maximum PC)
July 1996 – October 1997
Founding Technical Editor of boot magazine, and key member of the team that earned boot a reputation as the most innovative and unique monthly computer magazine in America.
- Organized the creation of the bootLab, was central in creating and revising the bootMark benchmarking procedures, and established boot and myself as the authoritative voice covering consumer 3D accelerators.
- Created the “White Paper” department, explaining in non-technical terms a different topic each month. Past papers included explaining how RAM works, decoding 3D jargon, etc. Responsible for editing the department on the occasions others wrote it.
- Wrote the July 1997 cover feature previewing the coming flock of next-generation 3D chips, covering many coming technologies long before they were reported anywhere else.
- Wrote a feature on Linux, and put together a full Linux distribution for the bootDisc in 1997, providing many PC enthusiasts with their very first exposure to Linux.
- Provided articles, technical advice, and industry insight to other Imagine publications, including PC Gamer, the Net, and MacAddict.
- Used my engineering background to ensure that boot was consistently technically correct, and to separate the reality from the hype surrounding new technologies.
Other Interests
Travel, technomadics, flying (planes, paragliders, and paramotors), photography, adventure.
Licensed as a Private Pilot since 1993.
Occasional co-host of NPR-affiliated weekly radio show and podcast — GeekSpeak.